Gateway Innovation Center | 200 McGrath Highway | Somerville

bene

bene

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No renders, since this is in the early stages, but the lot at 200 McGrath Highway, aka Glass Stop/Russell Disposal/Pat's Tow is up for development by Capital Hall Partners. 23 stories of lab+office and a standalone hotel. No residential.

Some screen caps from this presentation: http://gatewaysomervillecaphall.com/20200121_SomWard2.pdf

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I'll let Van or another mod move the original posts over from the Somerville thread (and welcome and thank you, Bene), but this definitely deserves its own. Initial thoughts:

- Holy crap is this hefty for that location. Just look at the massing - those little boxes in the background are fairly imposing IRL.
- It would be better if the developer acknowledged the infrastructure improvements U/C or planned. I don't see any connection to the East Somerville GLX station 1,000 feet away, and I don't see any recognition of the future road layout from Grounding McGrath.
- This just makes me more eager to see the Target/Fallas property go, and ideally it would go first, with an Earle Street underpass to provide more connections.

Extra points, though, for perfectly matching the sketch to the massing so that you can flip back and forth (I haven't replicated that here).

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It reads to me like an attempt to beat the McGrath boulevard project and inevitable pushback on the development it will spur.
 
Equilibria said:
There is zero chance of that. This will never be built as proposed here.
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Equilibria -- I think that you are "spot-on" for this one
However -- the reason it won't happen is not because of Somerville opposition. They might approve a slightly slimmed-down or chopped-off version. I think the developer has been dreaming in concert with Sommerville Pols of creating a Kendall Sq spin-out. By talking the concept of Somervile as a Cheaper Kendall -- echo-chamber style --- they themselves are deluded into believing that every company now in Kendall will want to move or expand into every nook and cranny of Somerville. Well there are still places in Cambridge [e.g Cambridge Crossing, Alewife Area] where a similar scale project could be done and where there are already labs.

Without an agreement in principle with some company to take a major amount of space -- its a no-go. It won't be built on Spec. While Kendall has essentially a 0% vacancy for Labs today -- a lot of lab space in already established outskirts is either now opening or will soon be doing so. This development on the side of McGrath Highway is not in an established area for such things.
 
whighlander said:
Equilibria -- I think that you are "spot-on" for this one
However -- the reason it won't happen is not because of Somerville opposition. They might approve a slightly slimmed-down or chopped-off version. I think the developer has been dreaming in concert with Sommerville Pols of creating a Kendall Sq spin-out. By talking the concept of Somervile as a Cheaper Kendall -- echo-chamber style --- they themselves are deluded into believing that every company now in Kendall will want to move or expand into every nook and cranny of Somerville. Well there are still places in Cambridge [e.g Cambridge Crossing, Alewife Area] where a similar scale project could be done and where there are already labs.
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It's not about whether it's in Cambridge or Somerville, it's about whether it's connected into the Kendall ecosystem. Cambridge Crossing is the best "new Kendall" because it's walking distance. Alewife is second because of the Red Line. I'd put Union Square and East Somerville (the station catchments) in third, because you can get to Lechmere on the Green Line. Assembly is on the wrong T line, so it's fourth. Allston is a pipe dream until there's at least a full bike/ped path on the Grand Junction.

This location is easily bikeable to Kendall on back roads. Binney Street is 0.7 miles away. For comparison, that's closer than the back end of the Alewife quadrangle is to Alewife with a footbridge.
 
Boynton Yards is also a very close reality not just a nebulous proposal. Surely that, but mostly US2, influenced the Gateway developer to go big here.
 
Equilibria said:
It's not about whether it's in Cambridge or Somerville, it's about whether it's connected into the Kendall ecosystem. Cambridge Crossing is the best "new Kendall" because it's walking distance. Alewife is second because of the Red Line. I'd put Union Square and East Somerville (the station catchments) in third, because you can get to Lechmere on the Green Line. Assembly is on the wrong T line, so it's fourth. Allston is a pipe dream until there's at least a full bike/ped path on the Grand Junction.

This location is easily bikeable to Kendall on back roads. Binney Street is 0.7 miles away. For comparison, that's closer than the back end of the Alewife quadrangle is to Alewife with a footbridge.
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Equilibria -- Agree with most of that
Disagree about Union Sq. and East Somerville -=- its not that its bikeable that might be an argument for a residential tower -- for example why is Vertex expanding to the edge of the Ray Flynn Maritime Industrial Area? Close walking an biking perhaps, but also on the same Silver Line and a relatively short distance along the same Street for driving as well

The high priced money for the new Kendall -overflow is on the area between GE and Gillette and some surroundings:
  1. the Guys who bought the site of the GE Tower [see the Logo from MARS]
    1. Alexandria Real Estate Equities & National Development for $252M
  2. the Gang who purchased the parking lot between GE and Gillette
    1. Related Beal for $218M with plans for 3 major buildings
  3. the project near Copersmith's
    1. Alexandria Real Estate Equities & Anchor Line Partners -- 210 k sq ft lab
  4. 105 west First St. Project
    1. 250 k sq ft lab building already permitted sold to new Development Consortium: Breakthrough Properties
    2. Tishman Speyer partnering with Bellco Capital [an investment firm founded by biotechnology entrepreneurs Drs. Rebecka and Arie Belldegrun]
  5. The Foundation Medicine tower just on the other side of Summer St.
  6. And of course the Mamouth or Mastodon in the Room -- PG/Gillette World Shaving HQ
This new Bio-District is very walkable to Broadway -- and thus just a few stops on the Red Line from Alewife and already part of the general "Kiretsu" of Lab-types in the Seaport [as extended]

All they need is good bar / restaurant -- like Copperfield's to hang out and some fairly nice hotel rooms
 
Equilibria said:
There is zero chance of that. This will never be built as proposed here.
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Why? There are 0 humans living closer than a football field away in every direction. Add to that the nearest neighbors on the Boynton Yards side are both politically mute and oriented more toward Cambridge than Somerville. The area is specially designated in city plans as a target for complete overhaul and Somerville city hall is far more in favor of building dense and high than Cambridge. If the proposal is for this to be office/labs rather than housing it will only face opposition from the Union Square crowd that hates everything.
 
kjdonovan said:
Why? There are 0 humans living closer than a football field away in every direction. Add to that the nearest neighbors on the Boynton Yards side are both politically mute and oriented more toward Cambridge than Somerville. The area is specially designated in city plans as a target for complete overhaul and Somerville city hall is far more in favor of building dense and high than Cambridge. If the proposal is for this to be office/labs rather than housing it will only face opposition from the Union Square crowd that hates everything.
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The Union Square crowd doesn't hate everything - they've willingly consented to the most profound neighborhood transformation in Boston since Urban Renewal. 300' on this parcel wasn't part of that package, and it's wildly out-of-scale with everything around it.
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
I shall call him "Mini Me".

Also that little park in the back is useless. What a waste just for some extra floors. Swap locations with the hotel, at least a park in the front will be more useful.
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Its actually just under the McGrath from Brickbottom. Its essentially a private park for them.

Despite being <10 minute walk from 2 future T stations, this place is going to be miserable to access on foot.

1000 parking spaces makes me want to barf.

EDIT - The more that I stare at it, this will be more walkable from the East Somerville station than from Union. The park is essentially the front door to the site in that context.
 
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Equilibria said:
The Union Square crowd doesn't hate everything - they've willingly consented to the most profound neighborhood transformation in Boston since Urban Renewal. 300' on this parcel wasn't part of that package, and it's wildly out-of-scale with everything around it.
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It may not end up being that tall and definitely wont have space for 1000 cars! but I can see something like this going in here. Seems like there is an aim to build a lab corridor from Leechmere to Union.
They would want to get it done before the lowering of McGrath too.
 
Part of the "where is the next Kendall" discussion is where the startups are already - and you already have a growing tech cluster in this area. Draw a line down Somerville Ave from here to the Asylum (through Union) and count how many robotics companies are within a block of your line. It's a *lot*. Startups imply concentrations of tech workers imply fertile ground for larger companies.

EDIT: Not that I think Union is the next Kendall, I just think it has more potential growth as a tech hub than people are assuming.

EDIT EDIT: This thing is definitely going to shrink as it makes it's way through approval.
 
erom said:
Part of the "where is the next Kendall" discussion is where the startups are already - and you already have a growing tech cluster in this area. Draw a line down Somerville Ave from here to the Asylum (through Union) and count how many robotics companies are within a block of your line. It's a *lot*. Startups imply concentrations of tech workers imply fertile ground for larger companies.

EDIT: Not that I think Union is the next Kendall, I just think it has more potential growth as a tech hub than people are assuming.

EDIT EDIT: This thing is definitely going to shrink as it makes it's way through approval.
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erom -- there are a whole bunch of reasons why start-ups pick a particular place -- a lot of them depend on the magnitude and type of financing:
  1. at the bottom the start-up that is just a bunch of guys or gals or a mix with an idea but almost no money [been there done that] -- looks for the cheapo -- warehousey-type spaces that pretty much no-one wants and that the landlord is willing to give you a deal and 1/2
  2. If you have some money and can use it to improve your standing -- you probably want to get near to some of your best buds or gal pals to borrow the occasional soldering iron, debugging tool, etc. [been there and done that too]
  3. If you have real money backed by a VC then you might actually be somewhat selective in finding your next place to expand [never quite got there on my own start-ups -- but I did some work with a company about 20 years ago backed by a major VC]
  4. Finally if you are working your way up the B,C,D, etc. rounds of financing heading for an IPO -- its all about a prestige location with fancy furniture, foosball machines and such as you try to attract people who might also be courted by Google, or Amazon

So far most of the local robotics companies [Boston Dynamics and Irobot being among a few exceptions] are stuck in the 1,2,3 categories so a place like Union Square might be a good fit -- although there is quite a collection on the fringe of the Seaport back by GE.

A couple of robotics companies got scooped-up by the Big Names such as Kiva that became Amazon Robotics
 
Yes, we agree. Even back before the area got hip, the carcass of the Ames Envelope Company was providing the warehouse space for what you called Step 1 startups - I worked in several in the 2005-2010 timeframe. The area has just sort of grown up with the companies - you see places like Greentown and the Asylum as incubators. Call Righthand Robotics a good example of a Step 3ish sort of place, and Formlabs something like a Step 5 (since they've got off the venture capitol treadmill and are supported by their actual product sales now).

My point was just that - people might be sleeping on Union's potential as a tech hub because they don't realize it's been slowly building a robotics cluster for more than a decade at this point. There are definitely companies outgrowing Union today. I think there is more demand for commercial real estate here than people realize.
 
erom said:
Yes, we agree. Even back before the area got hip, the carcass of the Ames Envelope Company was providing the warehouse space for what you called Step 1 startups - I worked in several in the 2005-2010 timeframe. The area has just sort of grown up with the companies - you see places like Greentown and the Asylum as incubators. Call Righthand Robotics a good example of a Step 3ish sort of place, and Formlabs something like a Step 5 (since they've got off the venture capitol treadmill and are supported by their actual product sales now).

My point was just that - people might be sleeping on Union's potential as a tech hub because they don't realize it's been slowly building a robotics cluster for more than a decade at this point. There are definitely companies outgrowing Union today. I think there is more demand for commercial real estate here than people realize.
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erom -- you could be right

Only way to find out is if someone builds a "Spec" office / light lab project and it gets filled-up
When you looks at comparable nearby places: {Alewife, Assembly, Cambridge Crossing, the GE / Gillette area in South Boston - everything is either a project with a "signed-up" major tenant or the developer is So-Big that they can build just on their name -- don't see any of that behind the Union Sq. project
 
ra84970 said:

An additional community meeting (the 3rd one) happened earlier tonight on a webinar. Looking to see if I can find the presentation. Register above and you'll be sent to the recording of the meeting. Haven't watched yet.
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Thanks for pointing this out! Still no real renders, sadly, but still pretty huge (it's somehow even bigger now than it was before).

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The presentation talks a lot about improvements to the roads that get you from the site to East Somerville GLX. Worth noting also that they're assuming Medford Street will ultimately be rerouted through their site to a 4-way intersection with Poplar when McGrath is grounded, and they've designed their internal street to become the mainline.

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